


Home

by WinterDrake



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-18 06:13:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3559076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterDrake/pseuds/WinterDrake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Petra is working in a coffee shop over the summer when one night, as she is left alone to lock up, an injured man arrives after closing and keeps her from leaving. Just who is this man and what does he want? AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was first posted on fanfiction.net.

"Petra!" The tired voice of her co-worker startled her from her daydreaming. In it she had been imagining herself sleeping on her soft comfy bed instead of cleaning up her father's coffee shop. Petra stopped cleaning the counters mechanically with her cloth and turned to look curiously at her friend as he came up to her.

"Are we done yet?" Oluo flopped onto the stool to the right of her and stifled a yawn. He wore a blue button up shirt and dress pants underneath his apron as he had just been in class earlier this morning. Petra wore wearing a blue, sleeved tunic and black leggings as she had been out having lunch with a friend before coming to work. "I'm exhausted from today!"

"Today wasn't that bad, was it?" Petra questioned. It actually had been but Petra didn't want to admit it. For some reason they had double the amount of customers they normally did and it had left them both worn out. "I'm not done cleaning yet so if you want you can go now. I can lock up."

"Are you sure? I can stay if you'd like."

"I'm sure. I've locked up alone before, you know. And you don't look like you'll last another few minutes." Petra smirked. Oluo smiled sheepishly but knew she was right. He had stayed up last night to study for an exam earlier that morning and badly needed sleep. He had not been able to pass English 101 and was now taking it over the summer.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then. Thank you!"

"No problem. I hope you have a good few days before you get your marks back. I figure you're going to need it." Petra smirked at him. Oluo just rolled his eyes and just went to grab his stuff.

"You know I only failed because my teacher can't teach!" He began when he had finished grabbing everything.

"Keep believing that Oluo. I had him last semester and I did great."

"It was probably because he liked you. All the teachers end up liking you, don't they teacher's  _Pet_?" He stressed the last part, knowing it bugged her as it was her nickname since elementary.

"Weren't you leaving?"

"I was in fact." Oluo smiled as Petra stuck her tongue out at him. He turned to look at her again as he opened the door. "Goodnight Petra. And thanks again."

"Goodnight Oluo!" Petra smiled as the young man headed out the door. She would plan some revenge for the teacher's pet comment later.

* * *

 

It took Petra another half an hour to clean the rest of the shop and put everything away. She hadn't expected it to take so long but it was alright. Tomorrow was Saturday and she had another late shift with Oluo as her other co-workers and friends, Gunther and Eld, would be opening again. All four of them had been friends since high school and had just finished their first year of University a little over a month ago. Needing a job, they had agreed to take over her father's coffee shop for the summer as her parents toured the world together. Petra was a little envious of their trip but her parents had been saving up for years for this trip as it had been a romantic dream for them. She hoped she could go on trips like that in the future as well.

Petra glanced outside to see that it had gotten dark but there was still a little bit of light out. The young woman stretched her sore muscles and decided she was done for the night. The place was as clean as she could get it and everything was back in its proper place. Her car was parked a little way from the coffee shop but it would not be a long walk.

Petra turned off the lights before heading for the door. Like most shops, the front walls and door of the coffee shop were made out of glass. Petra loved basking in the light when the sun rays shone directly inside early in the morning.

As she neared the door, Petra could faintly hear some commotion outside but she ignored it. It took a minute to root through her purse for the shop keys but Petra finally found them. She then unlocked the door, happy to be going home to relax. She had just turned around to close and lock it when she heard rapid footsteps approaching her. Suddenly, she felt someone crash into her and she cried out in shock. As her purse flew from her hands, Petra's first thought that is was Oluo but why would he still be here? She felt alarm when the person behind grabbed her as they went forward and pushed her into back into the coffee shop.

"Ah!" Petra stumbled forward with a cry and heard faint shouting from somewhere outside. The person behind her, hopefully Oluo, was still holding her. She quickly broke free of the person's grip and turned around to see who it was, hoping it was someone she knew _._


	2. Chapter 2

It was not Oluo.

An unknown man stood before her which caused Petra to freeze. With wide eyes, she stared at him. He was not much taller than her, wearing faded plain black T-shirt and jeans with an half-zipped grey hoodie over that shirt. His hair was jet black and he had intense grey eyes with dark bags underneath. The man seemed to be glaring at her and Petra felt a shudder run through her frame. He did not look friendly.

Looking at his hands, Petra gasped as she saw blood and the hilt of a knife in a sheath buckled around his waist. One of his hands was hovering over the weapon as if he would draw it. The sight caused her heart to beat rapidly in fear. Had this man killed someone? There had been two recent stabbings in the last week. The suspect, or suspects, had not been caught. The police speculated it was done by a local gang but they were not completely certain. Was this the man the killed those people?

The intruder opened his mouth to say something but Petra did not wait around to find out what it was. This man had pushed her into the shop and now stood in front of the door with a weapon. The other two victims had been shop owners so this situation did not bode well for her and Petra acted through her growing panic.

After the shock began to wear off, Petra screamed as loud as she could and made a run for the office room behind the counter, stumbling as she whipped around. The office had a lock she remembered. If she could make it she would be safe! The emergency exit was also near the office but she had just locked it. Almost instantly though, the man was upon her and grabbed her arm in a tight grip. Petra shrieked as she tried to pull her arm free. She hoped someone would hear her though that chance was slim this time of night. Her biggest hope was that the man did not draw his knife.

The intruder pulled the young woman back and slapped his hand over her mouth to stop her cry. Petra bit him hard, her teeth almost tearing into his flesh and then kicked him. His voice was low and dangerous as he cursed and let go of her mouth but not her arm. She was able to kick him a few more times before he grabbed her leg in his strong grip. Petra raised her fist to punch him but the man grabbed her arm as well after letting go of her leg. He then swung her around so that her back was to him and then switched grips so that he held both her wrists instead.

"HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE!" Petra screamed once more and struggled to break free.

"Shit! Stop!" The low masculine and now panting voice commanded. "Just let… me explain.  _Please!_ "

"No fucking way!" The Petra yelled through her terror, faintly pleased she had not stuttered. She  _needed_  to break free and to get to safety! The young woman didn't stop and tried to step on his foot and kick him in the groin from behind. He kept moving away from her awkward attacks, however. Realizing it wasn't working, Petra barreled herself backward into him which made him crash against the glass door behind him. The man groaned in pain but still didn't let go of her. Instead, he just kicked her in the back of the knee to send her off balance and pushed her hard enough to send her to the ground.

Petra hit the ground face forward with a pained grunt and knew she would be feeling this later. The man still held her wrists and Petra got herself ready to try and roll to break free of his grip. Before she could move, Petra felt the intruder's knee slam into the middle of her back to keep her in place. He let go of her wrists briefly to get a better grip on them and press them hard into her back . The man now had her pinned on the ground while she still tried in vain to break free. She was panting from the exertion and tried everything to wiggle her way out of his grip.

"Stop. I won't hurt you. Just hear me out!" The man tried again. Petra struggled again but could find no way to break free. She couldn't help but let out a whimper as her eyes teared up in fear and frustration. As she was inhaling to scream as loud as she could she felt him let go of her wrists with one hand and covered her mouth tightly, making sure to keep her from even opening her mouth.

"Just fucking listen to me!" He hissed angrily. Petra didn't and tried struggled to free her hands and screamed behind his hand. " _Shut the fuck up you brat or we'll both die!_ " The harsh tone of his voice and his now painful grip on her face finally made Petra listen.

She stopped moving as she panted in exertion, closing her eyes tightly in defeat. As the man watched her for any more signs of trouble, Petra waited in apprehension as to what the man would say or do next.

… Was he going to kill her? And what did he mean they would both die?


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay… Good." The man sighed in relief when the red-haired woman beneath him stopped struggling. "Now keep quiet and listen." He let go of her mouth hesitantly and Petra took the chance to take a few shaky breaths to try and get some much needed oxygen. She hadn't been able to get enough from just being able to breathe through her nose. The man then returned his hand to her arm when she did not make any other noise. He also shifted a little so that he wasn't digging his knee into her back as painfully.

Petra's mouth and jaw ached where the intruder had gripped it even after he removed his hand. She spent a few moments debating if she should try to break free but decided to wait until a better time. Maybe when the man above her was distracted or maybe when she didn't feel like she was going to soil herself in fright. Her heart still beat fast and hard in her chest and Petra didn't say anything or crane her neck to look the man above her as he steadied his own breathing.

"How the fuck do I end up in these situations…" The man muttered to himself. Petra waited as the man seemed to consider what he wanted to say. Finally he continued. "Look, I'm  _not_  going to hurt you. I got into a shit ton of trouble and just need a place to lay low for a few hours. That's all. Let me do that and I'll be gone from your hair forever, alright?"

"You expect me to believe that?" Petra voiced her bewilderment before she could stop herself. She bit her tongue before she could say anything else that could provoke her captor further. Oluo had told her she needed to learn hold her tongue at times and it seemed it was true in this situation. She cringed expecting a some sort of violence against her. The man did nothing but continue talking.

"I don't fucking care whether you believe me or not. You  _will_  stay quiet until I am able to leave. I don't trust you to not to rat me out and we're both screwed if that happens."

"I won't help someone the police are after!" Petra didn't know what he meant by them both being in trouble but she did not want to help a criminal. How could she look her friends and father in the eye if she did? He could be a killer!

"Its not the cops who are looking for me, kid." He retorted and her words did not seem to anger him. Petra resisted the urge to tell him she was not a kid. "For my safety,  _and your own_ , its in your best interest to cooperate." Petra hesitated. She didn't know this man but she was at a disadvantage here. The young woman did not want to know what he would do if she said no. He had a knife after all, though Petra was surprised he had not pulled it on her yet. Maybe he wasn't the one that killed those people? But why did he have a knife and why was there blood on him? And if he was telling the truth and it was not the police after him then who was? A gang? She was terrified and didn't know what was going on. How she wished she had gone home sooner!

"If you say yes, I'll let you go. If not, we can just keep this nice and comfortable position until I feel I can leave." The man interrupted Petra's panicked thoughts. A small part of her wanted to point out that the sarcasm was unneeded but, thankfully, she refrained from doing so.

Petra closed her eyes and took a deep breathe. She had no choice here. She released her breathe and nodded, letting the man know she would cooperate. She didn't like the position she was in and if he let her go, she might be able to find some way to escape or call for help.

"Good. Now get up and don't try anything or you're just going to end up on the floor again." The intruder warned. He moved off of her and let go of her wrists. Petra turned her head to see him observing her. She slowly got up by pushing herself off the floor, not wanting to provoke her captor, which she guessed he was now.

Petra got to her feet and saw the man turn and step away to lock the entrance door. The woman could not find it in herself to do anything even though the intruder had turned away. Petra's racing heart began to slow and sweat began to form on her body. She could also feel a few tremors run through her body as the after effects of her attempted escape and struggle began to catch up with her. An unpleasant ache began to form in the pit of her stomach and her legs felt weak. She felt the need to sit down for a few minutes but instead stood in place to watch the intruder's actions.

The man moved to the glass wall to scan the streets through transparent surface, likely making sure no one had seen anything or was coming. Petra was relieved he still had the knife in the sheath but then saw something else. As the intruder moved, Petra caught sight of the hilt of a gun not fully covered by his shirt or hoodie. She stopped and stared, hoping it was a toy as he had not pulled that on her either. Her captor turned to look at her as she had her eyes on his weapon. He looked down at himself to see that the gun was visible.

"I'm not going to use it on you. I took it for protection." He said, noticing her discomfort and fright of the weapon. He then moved away from the glass wall when she said nothing and surveyed the inside of the coffee shop. Petra found it hard to be reassured by a man keeping her captive and carrying both a knife and a gun. He also had blood on him and, looking at the ground, Petra could see a few places where it had been smeared onto the ground. She focused more closely and found that the man's hoodie had a dark stain on the side. Was that blood too? There was some on his hands and, looking at her own arms, Petra found that some had transferred onto her as well, with some disgust.

Petra returned her attention back to the man to find that he was looking at her. Her eyes met his own intense ones and she turned away quickly. Petra felt very intimidated by those eyes that seemed to hold no warmth. The young woman then remembered about her purse. It had flown from her hands and fell to the ground as she was pushed inside the building. Trying to be nonchalant, Petra glanced around and found it underneath one of the tables.

_If I reach it maybe I could call the police?_  She didn't know whether to believe this man's story or not. As if reading her thoughts the man noticed her eyes on something. He followed her gaze to the purse and strode over to pick it up.

"That's m-mine!" Petra couldn't help but stutter and take a few steps closer. His sharp gaze on her and the thought of the gun stopped her in her tracks. She watched as he rifled through her belongings and pulled out her phone. The device was pink with rhinestones and stickers of Hello Kitty and princesses adorning its back. It had been a joke by Eld, Gunther and Oluo to decorate her phone in the girliest things possible on her birthday two months ago. Petra hadn't changed it since and was now quite embarrassed by it in the hands of the intruder. He stared at it for longer than she was comfortable with.

"I'll be keeping this for a bit. You'll get it back when I'm able to leave." The man said as he pocketed her phone. Petra wished she had been able to keep hold of her purse. If she had, she may have been able to call the police by now. There was another phone in the building but it was in full view on the counter in case customers needed it. The man would be able to see her if she tried to use it.

"Go sit over there." The man ordered, startling Petra from her thoughts and making her flinch. He was pointing to a table in the corner that would not be seen from the outside even if you went right up to the glass. "And calm down, I told you I'm not going to hurt you."

"O-okay." Petra stuttered though she tried hard not to. She followed his order and headed to the table. She needed to cooperate for now.

"Wait. You should have an office or some shit like that here, right?"

Petra paused a moment thinking but then dismissed lying to him. He would find out anyway and that might make him angry. The office was in the back near the emergency exit, but Petra was sure she would not make it to the exit and out the door before the man caught up with her.

"...Yeah."

"Show me where it is." Her captor commanded.


	4. Chapter 4

Petra nervously led the man to the small office in the back of the building. She stood before the wooden door and looked at her captor. The man narrowed his eyes and glared in impatience in return. The young woman lowered her gaze and hurriedly opened the door. It creaked as she pushed it open. Petra and her friends didn't like use the office often. With no window, it was usually hot and gloomy in there. The door was rarely locked as well.

Petra entered first and switched on the light, it flickered before finally turning on. It cast a weak glow as it needed to be replaced soon. The office was in a bit of disarray. The desk and table were messy, likely because Eld or Oluo had not bothered to clean up last time they were here. The filing cabinet had been left open and two cups of coffee were left on the table. She didn't even want to know how old those were. There was a small couch in the corner near tiny table that had someone's T-shirt thrown on top of it.

"Tch. Messy." The man muttered as he surveyed the room. Somehow the observation embarrassed Petra. She hadn't been in the office for a while, and if she survived this, she was going to make sure everyone cleaned up after themselves when they did use it.

The man roughly nudged Petra forward as she awkwardly stood a few steps in the room, wondering what she should do. She stumbled forward but didn't say anything through her irritation.

"Sit down over there. And don't move." He said, pointing to the wall away from everything else.

"Okay." Petra murmured as she sat down where he asked. Not listening to a man with a gun seemed like a bad idea, even if he had not raised it on her. Yet.

The ground was uncomfortable and cold even through her clothes. It also needed to be swept, Petra noticed as she sat down. Petra tried to make herself comfortable on the hard ground and saw the man begin to walk around the room. He dropped her purse on the table and began to search the room, keeping an eye on her as he did. He was likely making sure there was nothing here Petra could get her hands on that would help her. Petra already knew there was nothing here that could match a gun. She watched him search the room and rifle through the drawers. He did not take anything even though he knew Petra could do nothing about it.

Petra lowered her head and rubbed her face where it had hit the ground, it would likely leave a bruise tomorrow and it had started to ache. She made a small sound of pain as she pressed down on it to feel how bad it was.

"Fuck, are you crying?" The man's rough, questioning voice startled her.

"Uh... My jaw just hurts." Petra admitted, what was the point of lying? She felt uncomfortable as the intruder scrutinized her but could almost swear she heard him say something when he turned away. To Petra's surprise, it almost sounded like... Sorry?

After another minute, the man seemed satisfied that there was nothing Petra could use to help herself and went back to the door. He grabbed one of the chairs with him and sat upon it with a pained grunt. He clutched his side briefly and grimaced. Was he hurt? The man glared at her when he caught her staring. Petra turned away to look at a painting of sunflowers in a teal vase instead. They had tried to liven up the room a little but the one painting did little to achieve their goals. She then stared at the floor, covered in aging and cracked tiles, refusing to look near the man again. His gaze still frightened her.

Petra was at a loss. Just what could she do in this situation? The man hadn't done anything, so was he telling the truth and he would let her go? But what if this was some sort of sick game instead? All Petra could do right now was wait and see what this man would do next until she could figure something out.

* * *

 

Some time passed before Petra dared look at the intruder again. He had his eyes closed but she knew he was not sleeping. He looked too tense for that. Was he that confident Petra could do nothing that he was just ignoring her now? Petra was surprised the man hadn't hurt her or tried to steal anything yet. Maybe he wasn't lying when he said all he wanted to do was stay here a couple hours? That did not mean he was a good man though. For all she knew, he was hiding because the police were after him for committing some crime. As she sat there, Petra tried to think of ways to get free. He did say he wouldn't hurt her, so would she be able to get away with speaking without incurring his wrath?

Petra felt calmer now than she did before. She was still afraid but it wasn't as bad since the man hadn't tried to hurt her again. She finally spoke after psyching herself up in her head.

"When I don't come home soon, my family will call the police." Petra began. Her voice sounded loud, breaking the silence of the room. She looked at him to see his reaction. Nothing yet.

"For all I know they are on their way here already." Petra continued her lie. Petra actually lived alone in a two bedroom apartment, having moved out of her house last year. Her friends liked to come and stay over often so she had decided to get one they would all be more comfortable in. Her father knew the man who owned apartment complex so she did not pay as much rent as she should for a two room place.

"Will they?" The man questioned lowly but he did not move or open his eyes. He did not tell her to shut up so it was going well so far. Petra felt herself grow more confident and pushed down her feelings of apprehension.

"Yes, so you should let me go. They might be here any second." Petra reasoned. "You still have time to get away."

The man slowly opened his eyes then and turned towards her. His grey eyes looked into her own as he studied her. She looked back refusing to break eye contact. "The longer you wait, the less time you have to escape." Petra hoped with all her might that he would believe her.

"You're lying." Those two words, said so casually, crushed the brief flicker of hope blooming in Petra's chest.

"Before calling the police, any friends or family would be calling you on this." He held up her phone with no expression on his face. "No calls, no messages. I'll have a bit of warning before anything happens, I'd say." Well, there went her only plan. How had she not remembered he had her phone? Now what could she do? He was right in front of the door and she knew she couldn't beat him in a fight.

"Do yourself a favor Petra, and don't try that again." He added darkly, startling her with her name and his tone. She was shocked that he knew it but then remembered the boys had written her name in rhinestones on the back of her phone. Its not like she could deny it now.

"Fuck." Petra whispered and dropped her head onto her knees. The young woman could feel her eyes tearing up a little in frustration. What should she do now? She just wanted to go home!


	5. Chapter 5

Petra watched the man from the corner of her eyes as time seemed to pass by excruciatingly slowly. She noticed that he was still in pain. He would grit his teeth at times and clutch his left side. She wondered how he had been hurt. And had it hurt when she pushed him against the wall in her attempts to get away?

They awkwardly sat in silence as time passed. The panic Petra felt had left her and curiosity began to take it place. Had this man really wanted to hurt her he would have done it already. She couldn't help but watch him. Eventually, she saw the man move his hands to his hoodie. He unzipped it, took it off and then pulled up his shirt, making Petra gasp. The intruder turned his head to look at her at the noise but didn't say anything. He just looked back at his obviously wounded side. A crude bandage of grey cloth had been wrapped around it. Dried blood covered a patch of bruises around the cloth which ran farther up his shirt than she could see. The man checked his side, pulling back the cloth a little. He lowered his shirt with a sigh when he was done his examination.

"Did you kill those shopkeepers?" Petra blurted out the question. She didn't know why she asked, he would lie about it anyway if it were true. His wound reminded her that this man was dangerous.

"What? No." He turned and frowned at her. His eyes narrowed. "I just came to this godforsaken city yesterday. Why do you think I did it?"

"They were both stabbed."

"It would have been easier to use a gun." Petra tensed and her mind went blank when the man brought his hand towards his own gun. Instead of going for it, he pulled out something from his pocket. He threw it at her and she stared at it in surprise when it landed near her feet. It was a bus ticket. Petra picked it up and looked at it until she noticed the date. The boarding date was a few days ago. The destination was for here but the origin was from almost the other side of the country. There was a name on it as well. Levi Smith. So he likely hadn't done it... Did he know his name was on there? Probably. So why had he given the ticket to her?

"Don't go telling the police I did that shit when you call them. They won't call a manhunt if they don't think I'm a murderer. I just want to leave this shitty city in peace.  _I've done nothing wrong._ " The way he said the last words alerted Petra that there was some deeper meaning to those words. The man, who she would now think of as Levi, then continued. "Feel free to tell them my name. Its not my real one anyway." Petra felt relief at his words. He said when she called the police. He would let her go. Eventually, but it was better than the alternatives.

"Sorry." Petra apologized and cautiously got up to return the ticket to him. He seemed almost surprised at her apology. She returned to her spot after that.

* * *

 

It was odd. Now that Petra had a name for the intruder he felt more like a person rather than some criminal. The longer she watched Levi, the more Petra could not help have feelings of sympathy for him and the pain she knew he was in with those wounds. She tried to crush those feelings but now that she was pretty sure he wasn't going to hurt her, it was hard to. She couldn't help but replay the way he had said those four words to her. He had sounded... broken. Had this man been a cold-blooded murderer he would have just killed her already. Petra still didn't know if he was a good man but she debated what she should do for some time and had come to a decision. She didn't know this man's circumstances and it didn't seem like he was going to hurt her or steal anything. His obvious pain was making her feel guilty for just sitting there and doing nothing.

"You don't look very well." Petra began after mustering up the courage to speak once more.

"Did I ask for your input?" Her captor asked and then grimaced as he shifted himself into another position.

"No need to be rude, I was just…" What was she trying to do? Help him? He did technically have her captive.

"What, you concerned?"

"No!" Petra lied. "I'm just curious why my captor looks like he lost a fight." The man rolled his eyes at her response.

"Most people in your situation would know to stay stay quiet. Why don't you?"

Petra really did want to know why he was hurt. It looked like she could get away with quite a bit more than she thought as the man made no move against her even though he was obviously annoyed with her attempts at conversation.

"I saw your side. That looks painful. How did it happen?" She tried once more, ignoring his previous words.

"A fight." Levi snapped. It didn't look like he was going to give anything away.

"One it looks like you lost." Petra muttered in response. Of course she concluded it was from a fight already. He glared at her darkly as he had heard but said nothing.

"I think you should clean and bandage that properly."

"Does it look like I have those things on me?"

"I... have a kit here that might help." Petra admitted, almost on impulse.

"And you'll let me use it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"... I don't know." The man stared at her intently, his grey eyes focused like he was trying to figure her out. If helping him meant he would let her go sooner and relieve her naggy conscious, then she would do it. Just in case he was going to kill her maybe he wouldn't if she was nice to him?

"You can cut the act, it won't get you out of here any faster. You'll leave when I'm able to."

"Damn." Petra whispered to herself but she was heard.

"Thought so."

"I still want to help though." Petra insisted.

"Fine. Where's the kit?"

"Right there." Petra said. She pointed to the desk. "Its a black, metal box in the bottom left drawer of the desk."

"Don't move." Levi ordered as he rose from his chair. He glared at her to get his point across before approaching the desk. Petra could hear him rummaging around until he found the box. He hadn't really paid attention to it when he had been looking through it but now he noticed a crudely drawn red cross taped on the side. Whoever had drawn and colored it hadn't done a very good job. Pulling it out and opening it up revealed bandages, gauze and antiseptic along with various other items.

Petra thought of running now but she was sure she would not be able to escape. She really didn't want to end up pinned to the floor for who knows how long. Levi took the kit and walked back to his chair. He placed it on his lap as he sat down and then took off his shirt entirely. Petra didn't gasp this time but her eyes widened. The man had many other bruises on his torso as well as some cuts.

"It was three against one." The man said, noticing her expression and offering an tiny bit of explanation.

"It would be easier if I did it." Petra offered as Levi began to take off the cloth around his side. He looked at her and opened his mouth to deny her request but hesitated.

"...Try anything and you will be face flat on the floor, remember?" He finally said.

Petra nodded and he got up to approach her, grabbing his shirt and hoodie as well. He sat down in front of her and placed the kit beside her. Intimidated, Petra avoided his eyes and she reached first for a clean cloth and antiseptic. She would clean the wound on his side first. Levi grunted in pain as he peeled the grey cloth off of him as blood had dried it onto his skin.

"Don't bother with the rest, just this once here." The man said as he offered her his side. He looked away from her which made Petra less nervous. She soaked a clean cloth in the antiseptic and firmly pressed it against the wound. He made a small sound as the antiseptic did its job.

"Sorry." The young woman apologized, seeing his pain. Gently, Petra began to clean the wound. She left the blood farther from the wound alone and just focused on getting his side clean. There seemed to be a bit of dirt around the wound and quite a bit of dried blood. The cloth quickly turned red from it.

Once the wound was clean, Petra could see that there was long cut on his skin. It looked like someone had slashed him, likely with a knife or other sharp instrument. It no longer bled but she knew it must be painful. Petra poured more antiseptic on another clean cloth and gently wiped the wound and the surrounding area once more. Done, she dressed the wound as best she could, noticing it bled a little even though she had tried to be gentle. The young woman grabbed the gauze bandage and was able to wrap it around his side four times before it ran out. She used some tape to tape the bandage in place to finish.

"I'm done." Petra hoped she hadn't done it too tightly. While she had been working on him, she looked him over more carefully and realized his he was actually pretty muscular. She could believe that he took on three men and escaped with alot less damage than she would have expected. Petra tried not to notice his physique that but it was hard not to when the man was half-naked in front of her. She also noticed his clothes were not in the greatest shape. His shirt, hoodie and pants looked washed out and old. The shirt had a patch where it had been sown back together, and not very well. This man did not seem to be very well off. His eyes were bloodshot too, likely from lack of sleep.

"Thank you." His voice lacked any emotion so it was hard to tell if he was truly sincere. The job done, the man packed the items back into the box and got up to put his clothes back on. Petra sat in silence once again, wondering why she helped this man.

"So can I call you Levi?" She asked as Levi returned to his seat.

"Hmm?"

"I just don't know what to call you and that's what the name on the ticket said."

"Call me whatever the fuck you want." He didn't sound as irritated this time though he had swore.

"Well, I'm Petra. If this were different circumstances, I'd say its nice to meet you but…" She trailed off.

"I doubt it would be nice to meet me under any circumstances."

"Can I ask who's after you? And why?"

"No." His response was abrupt. Final.

"Why not?"

"Because its none of your business. Don't think because you helped me I'm suddenly going to give you my life story." With that, Levi returned to his seat in front of the door. Petra banged the back of her head against the wall in frustration. She could have done that better.


	6. Chapter 6

Petra thought about what she should do and decided she would not let this man keep such a big secret from her. From what she understood, whatever situation he was in was putting her in danger as well. Petra felt deserved to know what was going on because of this.

"Why won't you tell me anything?" Petra risked asking Levi, pushing back her trepidation. Levi had been silent after their last conversation. He just sat on the chair with his arms crossed. He did not face her directly but he would occasionally look in her direction to make sure she was behaving.

Petra was nervous as she spoke but she was sure that this man would not kill her. Throughout this entire situation, Levi never threatened to do it, though she had assumed some of this threats meant he would. Even though the man was apathetic and cold in demeanor, Petra could no longer see him as a murderer.

"You said we would both die when you pinned me to the ground." Petra continued, remembering the almost desperate sounding words. Levi didn't even bother giving her more than a glance. "What did you mean?"

Petra slowly stood up when the man did not answer her, nervously pulling on the hem of her shirt. When Petra rose, Levi then turned towards her and spoke.

"Like I said. It's none of your business so shut up and  _sit down_." Levi coldly ordered, glaring at her. His eyes were icy in their intensity. This tactic would have made her do just that before but Petra would have to stand her ground this time. Her heart raced as she continued, hoping she was not making a mistake by doing this. She did not lower her eyes and instead stared directly into his own, forcing herself to keep eye contact.

"I w-want to know what happened." Petra cursed her brief stutter. "By being here you're putting me in danger."

"No."

"Then I'll just try to escape again. You won't be able to keep me restrained forever, not with how hurt you are. I'll also just keep screaming until someone comes." Petra threatened with false bravado. She wasn't actually sure she could escape him even in his condition. And would anyone hear her before her voice gave out?

Levi's cold, grey eyes narrowed at her, causing the young woman's breath to quicken in panic. His entire demeanor changed, becoming harder and more dangerous. Petra saw him tighten his hands into fists and his body tensed. Though Petra was scared, she was sure this man would not hurt her. Or at least not much, as she remembered her bruised jaw. After a tense few moments, he closed his eyes and sighed in exasperation, letting his body relax and tilting his head back.

"… I found out something I shouldn't have." He said quietly, not opening his eyes.

"You found out something?" Petra repeated, confused. Petra took the chance to take a few steps closer to him.

"I was at the wrong place at the wrong time... Again." He trailed off, his mouth moving into a grim line. Like his words before, Petra knew there was something else he was not saying.

"... What did you see?" Petra asked almost gently, wanting him to continue but not wanting to sound demanding and make him angry.

"If you know it will put you in danger." Levi warned as he opened his eyes and turned to face her.

"I'm in danger now!" Petra's voice rose a bit but she lowered it when he sent her a sharp look. "Please."

"Fritz."

"Huh?" The name of one of the country's current presidential candidates was not something Petra expected him to say.

"I found out the bastard funds the Titan gang. I accidentally overheard part of his meeting with them."

"Wait what! Why?" Petra heard the rumors that Fritz Ludolf was corrupt but no one had been able to provide any solid evidence to prove it. The aspiring president lived in this city but he travelled often, always trying to promote himself. Petra knew he was here right now, having recently come back from a two week long campaign doing just that.

"Power. He funds them, lets them run free and they take out his enemies and make him look better in the eyes of the public. The Artlert pair? Edmund Smith? All were killed by the Titans because they were opposing him in some way. It even turns out the fire at that the 104th Orphanage wasn't an accident. Who got the most recognition when he offered to spend his own money to repair the place?"

"Edmund Smith…" Petra repeated the familiar name under her breath. This was alot to take in at once. "How did you find this out?"

"… I was just looking for a place to spend the night after the bus dropped me off. I didn't have the money for a hotel room. I ended up in a shitty part of the city so I broke into the first place I found, which was an old warehouse. I didn't think anyone would be using it. It was filthy inside." His eyes looked away from her for a moment when he revealed this information, making Petra feel pity for him. Just what had happened to this man that made him end up in such a situation?

"I woke up when the Titan's arrived, yelling and acting like a bunch of animals. It was just my luck that I ended up in the building they chose as their damn meeting place. Soon after, Fritz arrived. I overheard some of their conversation when I tried to find a way to leave without being seen. They would have found me if I stayed so I had no choice but to try and get out and leave all my stuff." Levi pressed a hand to his side as he spoke, as if remembering the incident caused him more pain.

"They saw and caught me pretty quickly. They found my things too. It was easy to figure out I was just some nobody. The gang's leader knew no one would miss some homeless man so he had his men try to kill me with just their fists. He wanted to make me pay because Fritz left in an angry huff when they found me. It didn't look like the bastard was very happy with the fact there was a witness."

"They're right that no one would miss me but I was able to fight back. Those morons should have used their guns to finish it quick but they didn't. I knocked one man out, took his gun and ran. They chased after me and if you hadn't been closing up when I was running by, I think I would have been dead by now. I lost them for a while but they would have caught sight of me eventually." Levi finished.

Petra was quiet as she processed this information. If Levi was telling the truth, this entire situation was worse than she thought. Fritz and the Titan's would never let anyone live to reveal their connection. There was too much at stake for both sides.

Petra wouldn't be surprised if Levi's story was true. But was it? Was he lying? It did not feel like it. Why would he make up something like this? He could have easily said something more believable. Petra found that she wanted to believe this man. She looked at him once again, but he had turned away.

"Believe me or don't believe me, I really don't care. But if I were you, I would never mention this to anyone." Levi added. A part of Petra felt that he did care but just didn't want to admit it.

"... If this is true." Petra said quietly. "We need to go to the police."

"Who's to say they're not in on it as well? And why would they believe me anyway? Do you think anyone will take the word of some bum?" Levi replied bitterly.

"I know a man, Erwin Smith. Mr. Smith's son. He's a police officer but he has contacts in high places. I think he would be able to do something. He'd never let the people who killed his dad get away. He's been wanting to solve his murder for years."

"Even so, why should I put my life at risk? I'm a survivor not an idiot. I'd be killed long before anything happens to Fritz or the Titans. And so would you and likely your friend as well."

"Then what will you do?" Petra found that she couldn't blame him if he did not want to go to the police. He seemed very distrustful of the world. Maybe keeping it secret was for the best. Informing the police might put herself and everyone she knew in danger. Petra knew she would have to tell Erwin though. He had been her friend far too long for her to keep such a large secret from him. She did not know how or when she would tell him about it though.

"I don't fucking know. Life is fucking unfair and I got you caught in it too. I'm... Sorry about that by the way." He admitted with an almost apologetic look at her.

"I can't say it's alright because I'm not sure it will be. But what I can say that I believe you." And Petra found this too be true. Levi's eyes widened slightly at her words as she was trusting him. For a moment, his mask of indifference slipped but it was back in an instant.

"And I don't blame you... That much about this situation. If-" Petra's words were cut off when they both heard a loud bang from right outside the staff room, as if someone was slamming their body against the emergency door.

Petra's froze, hoping it was not what not she thought it was. There came two more loud bangs in quick succession and then the sound of door opening and hitting the wall, hard.


	7. Chapter 7

"Shit!" Levi bolted out of the chair and seized Petra's arm. Too shocked to react, she didn't resist when he quickly pulled her behind the office desk. He then let go of her and pushed her down roughly, making her stumble to her knees. He grabbed Petra's purse, that he had previously dropped on the desk, and shoved it into one of the drawers. He then turned to her once more.

"Get underneath and stay there. Its me they want." Levi harshly whispered in a rushed breath. The office desk was the only thing in the room that could hide anyone. When facing the front, there was no way to see if anyone was hiding beneath it. If they were lucky, the Titans wouldn't check anywhere else once they saw him.

"Wait." Petra finally found her voice, whispering as she raised herself up when she saw him heading for the door. She wanted him to hide too. There were loud, hurried footsteps outside and men's voices shouting. It was hard to tell what they were saying as their voices were muffled by the closed door but both occupants of the room could hear one set of heavy footsteps going farther into the shop.

Levi narrowed his eyes at Petra and gestured for her to stay down as he drew his gun. Petra did as he wanted and crawled underneath desk. It felt cramped as it was not designed for a full grown woman. Petra took a deep breath and tried to keep calm but she could feel her heart race and her breathing rate increase. Would Levi kill the Titan gang members? What if he was killed? She hoped he would not get hurt.

As Levi neared the door, he winced as his movements caused his side to erupt in pain. Distracted for a moment, he was unprepared when the door burst open, crashed into him and sent him reeling back. The gun fell from his hands and slid across the ground towards the desk. Levi cursed and stilled as he was met with two handguns pointed directly at him, carried by two very familiar men.

"Hands in the air!" A tall, muscular man with brown hair snarled. He had a skull tattoo on his right temple. The man beside him, with several scars across his face, grinned sinisterly at Levi. His grin showed off some of his broken teeth. Both these men had participated in beating Levi when he had been caught in the warehouse.

Tightening his hands into fists and gritting his teeth, Levi resisted the urge to rush the thugs. He knew he would just be shot. It was surprising that the Titans hadn't done it already. Having no choice, Levi put his hands up when another man joined them. The third man was shorter but bulkier than both of the other men and had his gun raised as well.

"Move to the side." The man with broken teeth ordered. Hesitating, Levi took a couple steps back towards the wall. He glared at the men before him, hating them with every fibre of his being. But underneath the anger, Levi could feel dread. Would he really die here today, thanks to these bastards?

"Luke, go grab the gun." Broken-teeth ordered the newcomer, his eyes still trained of Levi.

The third man who entered nodded and, while keeping his eyes on Levi, began to walk towards the gun. Levi once again resisted the urge to do something like trying to go for the gun. He wondered why the gang members had not killed him yet, though he could guess. It was likely that the leader of the Titans wasn't very happy with Levi's interference and planned to kill him himself, maybe making him suffer a bit first. The black-haired man hoped this was the case. Maybe he could take advantage of their stupidity of not killing him on sight and escape once again.

Levi watched Luke pass by him and hoped he wouldn't look behind the desk. He wished for Petra to stay safe, at least. None of this was her fault, only his. Levi turned his head to watch Luke as he bent down to grab the weapon, far too close to the desk than Levi liked.

"So where's your shitty leader then? Too much of a coward to come himself?" Levi tried to distract the men, in case he tried to look around.

"Shut the fuck up. Another word and I'll put a bullet through your head." The brown-haired man pointing a gun at Levi barked but Levi had gotten the attention of Luke.

"Let him say what he wants. King will deal with him soon." Luke turned and laughed, sticking Levi's stolen gun in the waistband of his jeans. Levi had forgotten that the leader of the Titans had 'introduced' himself to Levi as King. The name was ridiculous and the urge to roll his eyes had been great at the time. It was obviously not his real one but so far no one had been able to figure out just who King was.

Levi was relieved when the man began to walk towards the entrance, but then he paused. Luke frowned and turned back to look at the desk for a few moments. In one quick movement he stepped forward and almost threw it aside, revealing the wide-eyed and terrified woman underneath.

Luck was not on Levi's side today. But then, when had it ever been?

"Now who do we have here?" Luke smirked at the woman. Petra couldn't help the scream that followed when she the shock of being found wore off. The two other gang members seemed startled but made no move, letting the man who discovered her handle it.

"Shut up!" Luke shouted as he raised his gun at Petra's head. She did as he wanted went quiet. She didn't struggle as Luke grabbed her hair and painfully dragged her up and then towards the other men in the room. She whimpered as the thug shoved her beside Levi. He caught her before she could fall and pulled her behind him, whispering an apology as he did. This was his fault. Petra didn't say anything but she seized his arm in a tight grip.

"Yo, King! The old drunk outside was right! We found the bastard!" The scarred man yelled. "And he has a girl with him too!"

"Bring them to the front. I'll deal with them both." A man's faint but deep voice came from the front of the coffee shop. Levi knew that both he and Petra were in trouble. He doubted they would at least let Petra live.

"Move." It was the broken-teeth man again. Levi grit his teeth and moved forward, pulling Petra along as well. He could feel her shudder as the men smirked at them both. The Titans stayed behind Levi and Petra with guns drawn as both the captives were forced to walk to meet the leader of the Titans.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second chapter uploaded today, please make sure to read chapter 7 first if you haven't already!

Petra's heart beat frantically and she could feel the sweat accumulating on her skin as she walked. The young woman kept her head down and eyes trained on the ground, letting Levi lead the way. She was breathing fast and felt like any moment her breath would get caught in her throat. The ginger-haired woman hated herself for being so weak. It was her fault she got caught.

When Petra heard one of the men coming near the desk she began to breathe harder in fear. Believing the man would find her at any moment, she had been relieved when she heard Levi's voice distracting him. Why else would he taunt the men like that? Unfortunately, Petra's treacherous body had gasped after King's name had been mentioned. The sound had been enough to reveal her presence.

Petra didn't want to die. How would her parents handle her death? She was their only child! Petra wanted to finish her studies, hang with her friends, do something important in the world. The young woman wanted to live so she could enjoy life. She'd never even had a boyfriend yet!

Finally, Levi stopped walking. Petra slowly raised her head to look at the man who would decide her fate.

"It looks like we caught our little rat. Emphasis on little." The tall, dark-haired man named King smirked. Petra had seen him on the news before. The leader of the Titans was a brute of a man. He leaned against one of the tables like he owned the place. The Titans' leader wore a sleeveless navy shirt that showed off his heavily muscled arms and array of tattoos. His clear, blue eyes would have been pretty had they not been trained on both Petra and Levi like they were nothing but insects. If she thought Levi had been scary, this man was ten times worse.

Petra shuddered under King's stare as she held onto Levi. They both stood almost in the center of the coffee shop with the Titans surrounding them. King's three men still had their guns drawn. It didn't look like the leader of the Titan's had brought more than these men. Petra could only hope some passer-by would see them and call the police but at this time of night there was rarely anyone around.

Levi said nothing in response to the insult, which made King smile. It was a cold and threatening smile. King then turned to Petra.

"And who is this girl, rat?" The man took a few steps near her and Petra tried to back away. One of King's men cocked his gun and Petra stilled. King smirked at her visible fear and turned back to Levi. "Hmm, she looks too pretty to be with a filthy beggar like you. Is she some little girl you got caught in all this?"

"Yeah, she is." Levi finally spoke. "So you can let her go. She has nothing to do with this. I'm the one you want." Levi was still hopeful he could at least get Petra out of this with little or no harm.

"And why should I do that?

"You want more dead bodies linked to you and your group? She likely has family and friends that will want justice. I'm just a bum, I have no one."

"Hmm, you make a good point but... No. I don't think I'll let her live. She'll have to die. And you can die knowing it's your fault you pathetic piece of shit." King's eyes showed the fury he had been hiding. "I can't be taking any chances now that you've fucked up my reputation with the Fritz. That old bastard thinks I'm incompetent. And that makes me angry."

Levi's thoughts raced. How could he get himself and the woman beside him out of this? She did not deserve to die for his mistakes! King's idiotic men hadn't bothered searching Levi for weapons so he still had his knife but that was not much defence against several guns. Levi knew King wanted to hurt him so he needed to take advantage of that.

"Its not my fault the steroids have damaged your brain. If you didn't take them then maybe you would be a little less incompetent." Levi hoped his plan would work.

"You son of a-" The scarred man began but he was cut off when King gestured for him to be quiet.

"Still have the balls to insult me even now? I admit you got guts, rat. I'm going to enjoy making you scream in pain with my fists before I kill you." King threatened.

"Zach!" The Titans' leader called and the scarred man approached. "Take these, I don't want the tiny bastard to get ahold of another weapon." Zach took the two guns and the one knife King had on him. King then cracked his knuckles in preparation for his revenge.

"I'm not going to make the same mistake as last time and let you escape. There's no one else around so I have time to vent my frustrations a little. You don't mind do you, rat? You can even fight back if you like, though I doubt you can do much!" King laughed as he stood in front of Levi and Petra. Since Levi was standing his ground and not backing away, Petra didn't either though she was terrified.

"Luke, take hold of the girl. I'll deal with her later." King ordered and Luke quickly grabbed Petra and pulled her away from Levi. Petra struggled, not wanting Levi to be hurt. Though she would have never been in this situation if he hadn't come, he was a much of an innocent victim as she was. She stopped moving when cold metal was pressed against her temple.

"Shut up and enjoy the show, bitch. Don't worry, you'll get a cleaner death than this, after you show us where all the money in this shithole is, of course." The man hissed into Petra's ear, making her cringe. She could only hope that Levi would defeat the Titans' leader even though he was hurt and much smaller than his bulky opponent. Maybe the men would reconsider trying to kill them without their leader?

"Are you going to start then?" Levi responded in an almost bored tone. King bared his teeth at the words and started the fight by trying to punch Levi across the jaw. Levi blocked with a raised arm and used his other first to get a quick hit to King's chest.

King backed up and charged at Levi. The Titans' leader tried to punch with his right hand but it was blocked once again. Levi was too slow when King used his left fist and it hit him in the stomach, right near the side where he had already been hurt. Levi doubled over in pain and his opponent took the chance to kick him hard, sending him crashing into a nearby table.

"Is it over already?" Zach asked with disappointment in his voice. It was not. Levi groaned and rolled over, pushing himself back onto his feet. He was still able to fight.


	9. Chapter 9

Levi sharply inhaled as his movements sent a wave of pain throughout his body. He was in pain from King's blows but it was nothing too serious, though he felt his side might be bleeding again. The table was still intact but Levi knew he would have even more bruises if he lived to see another day. He glanced over at Petra and could see concern on her face. It was strange seeing that sort of expression for him and it quickly changed to one of relief when she saw he was okay.

Levi turned back to his opponent, hating that he was being beaten so easily. Had Levi not already been hurt and been eating regularly then this fight would have been taking a different direction. But Levi was tired. Tired of running and hiding and never feeling safe. It had been almost a year since he had to leave his former life behind.

I just need to find the right opportunity to use this. Levi's hand hovered over his hidden weapon briefly. He couldn't pull it out just yet, not if wanted to make it out alive. He would just get shot by King's men if they saw it on him. Two of them still had their guns raised towards him and the last one had his held to Petra. Levi didn't want to kill anyone but to save himself and Petra he would be willing to do it. The black-haired man would feel little guilt in ending the lives of the men before him.

Levi shook himself of his wandering thoughts when King began to near him. The hulking man smirked as he charged at him with one fist raised, probably thinking he had won already. Levi vowed to make sure he wiped that expression off of his face.

Levi dropped to the floor when King swung at him and aimed a kick at King's leg. It connected and succeeded in unbalancing the larger man. King cried out in surprise as he tried to right himself but still landed back first on the ground. Before Levi could act, the man rolled over and got back to his feet. The shorter man backed up in response.

"You're going to pay for that one." King growled as he stepped back and grabbed a chair. He threw it at Levi but the shorter man quickly sidestepped it. It hit the floor near one of the gang members and broke into two pieces. Levi didn't turn around to see which one.

"Hey!" The man yelled in surprise. Had that hit him, it would have hurt.

"Shut up." King ordered his man as he grabbed another chair. Levi dodged that one when it was thrown at him as well. King began to lose patience and charged once again. He would not let the bum send him to the ground this time. It had been humiliating that it had happened once.

Levi blocked the punch aimed at his face and anticipated the next one would be aimed at his side. He was correct and was able to sidestep the blow. Levi used the opportunity to punch King's gut but it seemed largely ineffective. The bigger man grunted in pain but didn't falter. King's hand shot out and seized the collar of Levi's shirt and dragged him closer.

Levi grabbed the man's arm with both of his hands and tried to force the hand to let go but he could not. Instead, Levi used his grip on the man's arm as leverage and the close proximity to kick at King's leg once again, this time aiming for the knee. It caused King to stumble and the Titan Leader was not able to strike Levi with his fist as he had been proceeding to do. Levi then aimed at the other knee and heard the pain in the bigger man's voice when he shouted.

"You fucking bastard!" King swore loudly, anger evident in his voice. The grip on Levi's collar had weakened enough that he could break free and Levi did just that. He then backed up once more, putting distance between him and his opponent. Levi took a deep breath. He was doing better than he expected so far.

Levi was not paying attention to King's men so he was not able to dodge the chair that hit him in the back. He stumbled at the blow and King seized the opportunity and rushed the shorter man. The Titans' leader brought his fist back and then slugged Levi hard across the face. Levi tried to back away but he was hit once more, this time sending him to the ground. He cried out as he felt the bigger man kick him hard as lay stunned on the floor, hearing laughter from one of King's men.

"Stop it!" Levi heard Petra shout. Her voice reminded him of all that was at stake and he focused on King once more as the man raised his leg to stomp on him. Levi shifted and kicked out at King's other leg. With the other leg raised, King could not regain his balance. The bigger man hit the ground face first this time and Levi leapt to his feet. As the man got to his knees to get up Levi pulled out the knife. King stilled when he felt the cold metal of the blade against his throat. King's men did not realize what was happening quickly enough to react. Levi quickly forced the Titan's leader to shift so that Levi's back to the glass windows. None of King's men were behind him in this position

"Move and I kill him." Levi threatened. King's men stood wide-eyed at the turn around.

"You didn't fucking check him for weapons, you imbeciles!" King roared but did not move. He could feel the cold chill of fear run throughout his body.

"Drop your weapons and let the girl go. Now." Levi ordered. The men hesitated, not knowing what to do. Levi noticed one man shift and was able to push King into the line of fire before the man pulled the trigger of his weapon. When he did, it was King's shoulder that the bullet tore through and not Levi's head.

"AAARGH!" King screamed in pain. He used his hand to clutch the wound, moving more than Levi liked. Levi pressed the blade harder to his captive's throat. Once again he stopped moving but he was still making sounds of pain. Blood quickly began to drip down the man's shoulder.

"Oh shit." The man, Levi remembered his name was Zach, who fired the gun looked shocked at what had happened. He looked at his gun and then at King, who was glaring at him though his pain. The unfortunate man knew King would not forgive him for this. Zach took off for the door, hoping to run far away from King's wrath. He did not make it. Petra screamed as there was another gunshot and the fleeing man's body hit the ground a few feet from the door, some of his blood spraying on the windows. She stared wide-eyed at the body before averting her eyes. The young woman felt the urge to throw up but stopped herself from doing so. She needed to keep calm.

The scarred man lowered his gun when he saw that he had fired true. No one fled the Titans. It was an immediate death sentence.

Levi did not react to the death of the man, remaining unflinching with his captive in front of him.

"Drop... Your guns!" King ordered, gritting his teeth from the pain. Both his remaining men hesitated. "I said...  _Drop your guns_!"

The scarred man, obviously more loyal than any of the others, placed his gun on the ground. He didn't believe either the homeless man or the girl would actually kill them. Without King, the Titans would be no more and he would not allow that. The scarred man loved the power he had over people as a member of the Titans and he would not give that up.

"He'll just kill us if he gets them." Luke reasoned and did not drop his own weapon. "I got the girl too. He can't do anything unless he wants her to die."

Petra's heart raced as she watched this exchange. This might be their only opportunity to get out of this alive. She needed to help or she would end up like the man on the floor. The thought of the dead man caused her body to shake but Petra forced herself to calm down. The young woman turned her head to look at the man holding onto the back of her shirt and found that he was focusing on his leader. Luke's gun was no longer pointed at her. He seemed to have forgotten about her or maybe thought she would cause no trouble since she had not done so already. If Petra could grab the gun they could get out of this alive.

When Luke looked over at the scarred man, Petra inhaled and made her move. She elbowed the man as hard as she possibly could in the gut and heard him grunt in pain. Her hands then shot out and snatched at the gun before Luke could react. He did not let go of it easily and Petra struggled a few moments before she got it out of his grip. As one of his hands was still gripping her shirt, she had an advantage.

Petra then pointed it at her captor, who let go of her and backed away. Her hands shook as she held the weapon. She had never used a gun before but it was simple right? Just pull the trigger and fire. The young woman hoped she wouldn't have to do it though. She didn't think she could take a life.

"Good job." Levi praised her, proud that Petra had overcome her fear to act. He hadn't expected her to help but it was both welcome and needed. He truly believed they had a chance now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not great with action scenes but I tried. Hopefully this makes sense!


	10. Chapter 10

Levi's body, mostly his side, ached but he tried his hardest to suppress the pain. He was also tired but forced himself not to show any weakness. There was a tense silence as both Petra and Levi considered what they should do now. Any wrong move could end up with them losing their current advantage. The thought made Levi tighten his grip on the knife and press it harder against King's throat. The captive man was breathing heavily through his nose as he ground his teeth in pain or anger, maybe both. Blood still welled from the his shoulder. He would need medical attention but Levi felt little concern for him.

Levi looked over at Petra and saw that she had backed away further from the man named Luke. Her gun was still shaking as she pointed it at her former captor. The black-haired man could also see her glancing at the scarred man and then at him and King every so often. He could see the tension and uncertainty on her face as she held the weapon.

"Both of you, back up against the wall." Levi ordered. Both of the remaining gang members glared at him and then at Petra before slowly backing away. Surprisingly, they said nothing as they followed his command. Once they moved, Levi turned to Petra.

"Can you get the other gun?" Levi asked gently. He hoped she would be able to do it.

Petra could detect a little concern in his voice. The young woman's heart raced as she nodded. She slowly walked forward towards the gun, worried something would go wrong. Once near it, Petra lowered herself and quickly snatched the gun awkwardly off the floor with one hand. The other, she still held up so she could point the gun at the two Titans. As she picked up the weapon, Levi felt himself relax just a little. Once he had a gun, they would have a much better chance at surviving. If needed, though he did not really want to, Levi would pull the trigger so that Petra would not have to.

When King felt Levi's grip relax, he took the opportunity to move. He thrust his head backward, away from the knife, hoping to connect it with Levi's own. Levi reacted fastand leaned away before it could hit him.

"Move!" King shouted at his men as he and Levi struggled, the former trying to break free and the latter trying to get the knife properly at King's throat again. The scarred man and Luke began to step forward at their leader's command.

"Stop!" Petra shouted as she saw the Titans move. She kept a worried eye on Levi and tightened her grip on the gun. Would she have to shoot someone? If she tried to shoot King, would she accidentally hit Levi?

King stopped struggling and screamed in pain when Levi dug his fingers into the wound on his shoulder. Levi took the opportunity to get King under control once more. The knife was back against the man's throat.

"When I get my hands on you again, you filthy sewer rat. I will make you suffer. You'll beg me to kill you." King growled, breathing heavily. Levi just ignored him, thankful he had been able to subdue the man again. He stared disgustedly at the hand now covered in King's blood. He felt a strong desire to wash it immediately.

"Petra, come here." Levi urged. The sooner he had a gun the better. Petra did so hesitantly. King was glaring at her as she approached. His teeth were bared like a wild animal.

The young woman stepped behind Levi, making sure to stay away from King's reach in case he tried to make a grab at her. When he motioned for it, Petra passed him the second gun. With it in hand, Levi slammed the hilt as hard as he could into King's temple. The larger man instantly slumped over and Levi pushed him so he fell forward. King dropped face first and did not move.

"You bastard!" The scarred man shouted and made a motion as to move forward but stopped. He had no weapon and no way to take either the man or woman down if they tried to shoot him. Luke did not make a move.

"Petra. Go get your purse." Levi requested. At her confused look, he continued. "I saw your keys in there."

Petra remembered that she did in fact have her keys in her purse.

"You'll be alright?"

"Yeah, go quick." He spoke softly so no one else could hear. "If you have anything we can use to tie up these men, then bring that as well."

* * *

Bolting to the office, and worried that her departure could mean Levi's death, Petra dashed to the desk and opened up the drawer. Her purse was scrunched up inside of it. She pulled it out and looked around for something she could use to help Levi. Petra's eyes landed on an extension cord, almost hidden behind the couch. There was only one power outlet in the room so Gunther had bought the cord so that everyone could plug in their mobile devices to charge without having to wait.

On her way out of the office door, Petra gazed at the open exit door. She realized she could leave. Right now.

But if she left, she would be leaving the man who tried to save to these men. Yes, it was Levi's fault this had happened to her but Petra did not really blame him. The young woman believed Levi would be able to get out just fine without her. Could she leave? It felt so wrong. Petra began to feel guilt for even thinking of doing such a thing.

Petra turned away from the door and took a deep steadying breath before making her way back to Levi. They would both leave together. Soon.

* * *

When Petra returned, she was relieved that everything seemed to be how she left it. King was still laying prone on the ground and the two men were near the wall. Giving King a wide berth, Petra made her way to Levi.

"Did you want me to tie them?" Petra asked quietly. Honestly, she didn't want to go near them but Levi was probably better off with keeping a gun on the men. His arms were steady when holding it, unlike her own.

"No. You keep your gun on them." He noticed Petra cringe at the thought of nearing the Titans. He passed her his gun and grabbed the extension cord. Levi continued speaking as he checked the length of the cord. "I'm actually surprised you didn't run."

"I… Thought about it." Petra admitted, guiltily.

"I wouldn't have blamed you if you had. Thank you for coming back."

Petra gave him a small smile. She had willingly put herself back in danger. The young woman hoped she wouldn't regret it.

"Turn around." Levi ordered the men. When the men did not move, Levi narrowed his eyes and gave them a threatening glare. "Turn around or I will have my friend shoot you right now."

The men were quiet as they did so and Levi was able to bind their arms with the cord. He tied the cord so that both men's arms were behind them and tied together. It would be hard for the Titans to break free now. Once it was done, Levi walked back to Petra and took back one of the guns.

"What if they get out?" Petra asked worriedly. "And what about King?"

"He's still out cold and we'll soon be gone so it doesn't matter. Let's just get the fuck out of here." Levi seized Petra's arm and pulled her to the front door. He unlocked it and pushed it open.

Petra inhaled deeply as she stepped into the cool night air. She stopped for just a second as relief washed over her. They were free! They were alive! She felt almost giddy as she realized she had survived.

"Come on." Levi urged when he saw her slow. His voice snapped her out of her giddiness. They were not out of danger yet. What if there were Titans outside as well? Petra felt the fear coming back. And what would she do when she had to come back here? King would probably figure out she worked here, if he hadn't already. Petra wanted to leave this place, now.

"No wait, this way. My car is over here." Petra grabbed Levi's hand and pulled him toward the direction of a small, red vehicle in the parking lot of the shop. Levi waited outside the passenger side while Petra went to the driver's. She almost ripped her purse open to get her keys. Her hands shook as she inserted the keys into the door. She fearfully cast a glance at the coffee shop entrance, feeling as if someone was going to come after them any second.

"Are you alright?" Levi asked. He could tell she was not. He heard the sound of the locks opening after a few moments.

"... I'm okay. Please get in, I just want to leave here." Petra almost pleaded.

Levi gave her a worried glance as she sat inside the car and closed the door. He quickly did the same and he heard the sound of the door locking almost as soon as he shut it. He buckled himself in as she started the ignition and then put on her own seat belt. Rapidly, the car reversed and sped out of the parking lot.

* * *

"Levi, we need to call the police." Petra stated after a few minutes of driving. She was still feeling the tension from everything that happened tonight.

"... Right." Levi agreed. "I'm not talking to them though."

"What?"

"You can go ahead and say what you like to the police but I'm leaving."

"Why? Levi, it's not safe! And you're a witness to Fritz's crimes!"

"Do you think anyone will believe me? I'm homeless. I have no credibility."

"But…" Petra trailed off. She didn't want to force him to talk to the police but she really did want him to come with her.

"I've survived on the streets for almost three years." Levi explained as he stared out the window. "Just drop me off wherever. I'll take it from there."

Petra glanced at him as she stopped the car for a red light. Levi looked so resigned. The young woman did not want to leave him to fend for himself when King's men could already be looking for them if they manage to free themselves. Petra wondered when was the last time Levi had a proper meal, when he slept in comfortable bed, when he ever felt safe.

It wasn't a good idea. It was a very bad idea but Petra had a strong desire to help this man. She did not want to leave him but she did not know him. For all she knew, Levi was lying about everything and could kill her at any moment. Even so, Petra wanted to help this man. She did not believe he would do those things and felt like she could trust him.

The light turned green but Petra did not go. Luckily, there were no other cars so no problems were caused. The ginger-haired woman clenched her hands in indecision but then made up her mind.

"Levi?" Petra turned to face him.

"What?" Levi didn't bother to turn to look at her.

"... Would you like to stay at my place tonight?"

"What?" Levi uttered in surprise, his head turned sharply to look at her.

"I… I don't want anything in return. You don't have to go the police or anything like that. I just thought you would be safer at my apartment rather than outside on the streets." She could see his shocked expression and continued talking. "My place isn't that great but it's home. Its an apartment but it's clean, or at least I try to make it be. But sometimes that doesn't always-"

"Petra!" Levi interrupted as she began to grow flustered. "Do you know what you're asking? I don't know you. You don't know me. King will be looking for me. Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Yes. No. I don't know! But I want you to be safe, at least for one night. So do you want to?" He stared at her but didn't answer. Petra felt like the answer was going to be a no, and felt almost… Embarrassed? Rejected? But then Levi opened his mouth to speak.

"Yeah. Yeah, I would really like to." Levi admitted.

"Alright." Petra smiled. She would keep her guard up just in case, but she didn't think Levi would hurt her. The young woman felt relief knowing this man would be safe for one more night. She couldn't deny the fact that the thought of having Levi around, when he went through the same experience as her, was a bit comforting.

Petra began to drive again, mentally preparing herself to call the cops and lie a little about Levi's whereabouts. Erwin would hopefully be able to take care of things after that.


	11. Chapter 11

Levi watched silently as Petra dialed her cell phone, which he had given back to her, to contact the police. She looked much calmer now and the man was thankful for that. He did not want her to stay fearful thanks to his mistakes. Everything she went through tonight was because of him. The black-haired man could not look at her without feeling guilt.

Levi wondered what went through the young woman's mind. How could she offer him, the man that had terrified her and almost gotten her killed, a night in her house? Why would she do that? She should hate him, not offer him shelter.

Petra had parked outside her apartment complex. It was a tall building, not very far from the coffee shop. It had only been about 10 minutes since their escape from King and his men. She hadn't wanted to wait any longer in calling the police when she remembered Levi had her phone. Both had forgotten he had it in his possession thanks to everything that happened. The ginger haired woman had quickly typed in her password to unlock it and proceeded to call Erwin when Levi returned it.

"I would like to speak with Erwin please." Petra asked when someone picked up the phone. Levi listened intently, though he could only hear her side of the conversation. "Yes... Thank you... Hi Erwin, its Petra... I'm fine now but I need to talk to you... Something did happen... Yes Erwin, I really am okay!"

Petra briefly explained what had transpired in the coffee shop, hesitantly including Levi's revelation that the Titans were involved in the murder of the Artlert's and Edmund Smith. There was a pause after she finished and Levi could faintly hear a male voice yelling, not at Petra, but likely at his fellow officers to get them moving. After that, Petra stiffened and glanced at Levi before answering another question from Erwin.

"Yes, he left… I don't know where he went… I don't really remember what he looked like but I'll try to remember when you get here… No, its alright. I'll be okay for now. You're going to need your men there… I'll be fine…. Okay, please be careful and call me back as soon as you can. Bye." Petra lowered the phone and rubbed her temples afterwards, feeling a headache coming on. She prayed Erwin was able to handle everything in the coffee shop. She hoped those men hadn't freed themselves and King was still unconscious on the floor.

"Thank you." Levi said, once again grateful to this woman.

"You're welcome." She smiled at him softly. "Now, come on. I want to go inside as soon as possible."

* * *

"Erwin is going to come over later but you can stay out of sight in one of the rooms while he's here, okay?" Petra reassured as she dug inside her purse for her keys.

"Alright." Levi nodded. Petra glanced back at him when she pulled out the keys and noticed his hand briefly pressed on his side again. She could also see the discomfort and tiredness on his face. He hadn't complained about anything, even though he must have still been in pain all this time. Petra didn't think King had pulled any punches.

"Come in, Levi." Petra invited as she unlocked and opened the door. The young woman was still nervous but she had already made her decision. She quickly made her way inside, Levi following behind her uncertainly. This was not his home and he felt like Petra would change her mind about him at any moment. He wouldn't blame her if she did.

Petra took off her shoes and placed them on a mat and Levi did the same, standing there in indecision afterwards while Petra went back to the door to lock it properly and then placed her purse inside a closet.

Levi took a few moments to look around the apartment. There was a small kitchen immediately to the right of the front door and a living room to the left. Levi could see several other doors inside the apartment. His attention was drawn back to Petra when she turned to him and began to speak, running a hand through her hair in a nervous gesture. She found that it was more awkward than she thought having a man she had just met inside her home. Luckily, her home was mostly clean so she didn't have much to be embarrassed about.

"The guest room is over there." Petra said as she pointed to a door further back. "It's small but you can use it while you're here. My room is on the other side and the bathroom is right beside it. There are some medical supplies underneath the sink, if you need them."

"Thank you again, Petra." Levi said this with sincere gratitude evident in his voice, though not so much in his expression. Petra smiled, continuing.

"Oh! And I have some clothes from a close friend of mine here, if you don't mind borrowing them for a bit. I can put yours in the wash to get rid of all of the… blood." Petra shivered and closed her eyes a moment as she tried to suppress the memories of tonight. The thought of blood reminded her of the man that died and what could have happened to both of them. "... You can take a shower too. If you need any help with bandages or anything just let me know. Let me go grab those clothes for you."

Petra hurried off into the guest room before Levi could say anything. He took a few more steps into the apartment and examined his surroundings. The first thing he noticed were the flowers. Roses, tulips, daisies. There were many fake flowers in colorful vases on shelves and tables. There were also several paintings of woodland and ocean scenery on the walls. Moving further in the apartment, past the living room and kitchen, Levi saw that a small section of the wall in the living room was covered in photos. The man stepped closer to take a look at them.

Levi recognized Petra in most of them. A majority of the photos of her included three other men. Levi concluded these men must be close friends of hers. Maybe one was even a boyfriend? He wondered how she would explain him to her boyfriend, if she did have one. Maybe accepting Petra's offer of shelter wasn't a good idea if it would get her in trouble with her significant other. Looking at the other photos, Levi saw that there was one of Petra standing with a tall, blonde man with thick eyebrows in a police uniform. Levi guessed that must be Erwin. The facial features of the blonde man looked vaguely familiar.

Petra came back out of the guest room with a bundle in her arms. She offered it to Levi with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, the clothes might be too big for you but they are the only ones I had. My friends love to leave their things here. They are already washed, if you don't mind wearing them."

"Anything would be better than what I'm wearing right now." Levi admitted. He took a deep breathe as he took the bundle from Petra's hands. "I don't… I don't know how to thank you Petra...I don't even know why you're-"

"Hey. After thinking about it, I can't blame you for what happened tonight. You were just trying to survive and didn't mean for any of this. You helped me when the Titans came so I should thank you." Petra shook her head and interrupted before he could finish. "Just stop blaming yourself, alright? I'm not going to blame you. I admit, I did before but not anymore."

Levi turned away from those kind amber eyes and nodded.

* * *

Petra stood in front of her open refrigerator, indecisive on what to make. Levi was taking a shower so she had some time to make a meal before he finished. The ginger-haired woman wasn't really hungry but she knew Levi would be, even if he hadn't admitted it. The fridge wasn't all that well stocked and she cursed not going grocery shopping yesterday. The woman ended up taking out a half full jar of pasta sauce and some veggies. Pasta wasn't the most elaborate meal but it would hopefully do. She quickly began preparations for the meal, her mind going back to Erwin. She was worried about him but she knew he could handle himself.

Almost an hour later, Levi emerged from the bathroom. The grey T-shirt and black sweatpants Petra had given him were too big but Levi did not care. He felt clean and refreshed, though he was still in some pain. The pain did not ruin the wonderful feeling of being rid of the filth that had been on his skin for so long however. It was not often that Levi was able to take a hot shower. The warm water had felt heavenly as he scrubbed away the dirt and grime of the streets. The man had made sure to clean every bit of filth on him, savoring every moment.

Levi had then carefully cleaned and bandaged his side after his shower, using Petra's medical supplies. He was thankful it did not receive much more damage when King hit him. The bruises and other wounds he received from his beatings would not fade for some time but Levi had sustained no injuries that would require him needing to go to the hospital.

While in the shower, the black-haired man had begun to contemplate his life and the choices that led him to this situation. Levi realized he had a decision to make but was still unsure about which path to take.

"Petra?" Levi called her name as he stepped out of the bathroom. He wanted to know where he could throw his clothes in the wash. Levi stopped when he smelled something good cooking. Levi's mouth watered at the scent of food and his stomach grumbled fiercely. When had been the last time he had eaten a proper meal in a house, not in some shelter or some cheap motel he could afford on occasion?

"Yes? I was just in the kitchen" Petra rushed over to him, worry on her face. "Did you need help with something?"

"Where can I wash my clothes?"

"Here, I'll take them." Petra grabbed his dirty clothes with her hands. Levi felt some shame in this woman touching his filthy clothes. He didn't believe she should have to do that.

"I'll make sure to wash them in the morning for you." Petra continued. "I just made pasta so you can go on and help yourself in the kitchen. You can take it into the guest room if that is more comfortable for you."

When Levi nodded, Petra walked away to place his clothes in a laundry hamper.

* * *

The short man made his way to the kitchen to see that Petra had laid down a glass, plate and fork for him already on a tray. A pot of pasta and another of sauce lay steaming beside the tray on the table, along with a few containers of juice and a plate of toasted and buttered bread. It made Levi's heart ache knowing she was doing so much for a someone like him. He was so grateful to this young woman but he did not know how to express it.

Levi helped himself to the pasta and took the plate and glass off of the tray. He would eat at the table with Petra, even though he was not used to company. Levi hadn't shared a meal and conversation with anyone in some time and his lack of social skills could make things awkward fast. He would be willing to risk it this time to be polite.

As Levi heard Petra coming back, the phone rang. No doubt it was Erwin calling at this hour. Petra answered quickly. On impulse, Levi left his untouched meal and made his way over to Petra as she began speaking. He tapped her on the shoulder as she was facing away from him. The ginger-haired woman instantly turned, almost dropping the phone in fright. She calmed once she saw it was just Levi.

"Uh, sorry about that Erwin. I tripped and almost dropped the phone. Could you give me a second?" She didn't wait for his answer and held the phone away from her and covered it with her hand.

"Is something wrong?" The woman whispered softly, not wanting to take any chances.

"I've changed my mind. I'll talk to the police with you." Levi stated. Petra's eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you sure? You could be in danger again. They might not even-" She reminded him of what he had said to her back in the coffee shop.

"I know what I said. I'm willing to do this, no matter the outcome." Levi interrupted firmly.

"Okay." Petra nodded. "Let me tell Erwin then."

Levi could hear the raised voice of Erwin on the phone after Petra told him about her guest. She quickly hurried off into her room once the man on the phone began to yell. Levi hated that he was causing Petra even more trouble. No doubt the blonde man was furious with Petra for letting a strange man into her home. Levi would have felt the same in his shoes.

* * *

Petra came back out twenty minutes later, looking stressed. She had argued in favor or Levi and told Erwin everything the man had done to help her until the blonde begrudgingly accepted her decision. Petra was too stubborn for his words to sway her but he had gotten her to promise him something.

"Levi? Would you mind if I called some friends over to stay the night with us?"

"I'm guessing your police friend is worried."

"Yeah and it's okay if you aren't comfortable with that. Erwin can deal with it." Levi could see her wince at that.

"I don't mind. I understand the position of your friend completely. In your situation, I don't think I would have helped someone like me at all." Levi stated. "Tch. You are too kind for your own good."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Petra laughed softly. "I'll go call them up then. Thank you Levi."

* * *

Less than half an hour later, there was loud knocking on the door. Levi instantly stiffened, the nervousness that had built up in his gut making him feel a sick. He and Petra had both eaten and been waiting in awkward silence in the small living room. The TV had been on but neither one had been interested in it. Petra had wanted to ask Levi about himself but thought better of it. She didn't want to pry, at least not until he was comfortable with talking to her.

Petra gave Levi a small smile at the sound outside, as if to say everything would be okay, and headed for the door. Levi stood up and followed her in his borrowed clothes. As they reached the door, the knocking came again, harder. Petra quickly checked the peephole and sighed in relief when she saw that it was in fact Erwin. He had someone else behind him as well.

"Calm down, Erwin." Petra spoke under her breath as the hard knocking happened a third time. She threw open the door to reveal the tall thick-eyebrowed man Levi had seen in the photo. Behind him was a slightly taller blonde with hair falling into his eyes. With a grim expression, Erwin looked over at Levi and gave him a quick once over. The man behind had a bored expression on his face but looked at Levi with curiosity. Levi could tell that Erwin did not like what he saw. Instantly Levi could feel dislike for both these men.

"Hi Erwin. Hi Mike. This is Levi, the man I spoke to you about."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet, I think! Also, apologies for the the delay once again! It unfortunately takes me WAY longer than it should to write and edit my chapters even though the entire outline of this fic has been done for almost a year. ^^'


	12. Chapter 12

Both Mike and Erwin settled themselves comfortably in Petra's living room, having been there on more than one occasion. Levi stood awkwardly with both newcomers staring at him as Petra hurried into the kitchen. He turned away from both pairs of prying eyes and focused on one of the paintings hanging on the wall. He did not like the feeling he got as the men stared. Their gazes made made him uncomfortable. Had Levi been the same man from years ago, this would not affect him but he was not the same man anymore.

Petra arrived after a few minutes later holding a tray with four glasses of orange juice.

"I'm sorry but I don't have any coffee right now. Will juice be alright?" She asked as she neared the men and stopped before the officers.

"That will be fine. Thank you Petra." Erwin smiled at the young woman as he picked up a glass of juice and took a long drink. Petra smiled in return as she then offered the tray to Mike. He took a glass and set it down on the coffee table in front of him.

Petra had known Erwin and Mike since she was a young girl. Her father had befriended both of them almost 12 years ago. The officers regularly stopped by his coffee shop to have lunch or a drink. Eventually they and Petra's father had become good friends.

Petra noticed Levi was still standing as she sat down and motioned for him to sit beside her. He did so with some reluctance, wary of the men before him. He did not like the police. He rarely had good encounters with them. Petra placed a glass of juice in front of him.

"Is there… Anything you can tell us right now? About…" Petra trailed off.

"I can't tell you much but you won't have to worry about them. All of the men you described are in custody. Now, I just need both of you to tell me everything you can remember. You gave me a brief description on the phone but I want all the details, no matter how insignificant it may seem." Erwin motioned at Mike, before continuing. "Mike will write everything down for us. You'll also be needing to tell me more about your friend here, Petra."

"We'll start with Levi first. Who are you, what do you do?" Erwin asked.

"That's none of your business." Levi responded cooly. He did not want to give them his life story. All he wanted to do was talk to them about what happened tonight and then hopefully leave.

"If you're going to be a witness then I'll need to know more about you." Erwin narrowed his eyes at the shorter man.

"I'll tell you whatever you want to corroborate Petra's story but I refuse to tell you anything else."

Erwin felt a surge of suspicion. Just why did this man refuse to divulge any information about himself? There was something wrong here.

"Since Petra is taking you in tonight, I'm assuming you don't have a place here?" Mike finally spoke.

"... No." Levi admitted after a pause.

"Did you just arrive in this city?" Mike continued and Petra could see Levi becoming irritated. His eyes had narrowed and he clenched his fists.

"How about we just get started on telling you what happened? If Levi doesn't want to talk about himself then we should respect that. I am still willing to be a witness if I am needed." Petra interjected before Mike could question her new roommate further. She did not want Levi to leave, which she was afraid he would do if this kept going on.

"... Fine." Erwin conceded. He decided to look this man up when he got back to the station. He doubted "Levi" was using his real name but it would be worth a shot to look through the criminal database and see if a name with his description popped up.

Together, Petra and Levi retold everything they could of the night's events. Levi started off by explaining everything that happened at the warehouse before he arrived at the coffee shop. He could see from the officers' expressions that some of the questions they had been asking had been answered by his explanation.

Petra joined in afterwards and noticed that Levi seemed to have a much better memory than her and was able to recount everything perfectly. He would take over telling things when Petra became upset or if she missed some details, which seemed to be embarrassingly often. When both Petra and Levi had finished speaking, Erwin was silent.

"You are sure of what you saw and heard?" Erwin finally asked after a minute. Petra nodded.

"Completely." Levi answered assuredly.

If everything they said was true, Levi didn't seem to be as bad as Erwin had originally thought. The tall blonde did blame him for bringing his mess to Petra but Levi did try to keep her out of it and ended up saving her in the end.

"The Mayor and the Titans? Doesn't seem too hard to believe. I never liked him anyway." Mike added as he finished writing down everything he heard. He then grabbed his glass of juice and chugged it down before speaking again. "We might be getting in over our heads but I am willing to do what I can to take these men down."

"Alright then, I believe we are mostly finished here. But first, Petra?".

"Yes, Erwin?"

"May I speak with you in private for a few minutes?" Erwin's request startled Petra.

"Ah, yes!" Petra stood up quickly and followed Erwin to the guest bedroom. They shut the door behind them. Levi already knew what they were going to talk about. Him. He hoped Erwin wouldn't convince Petra to kick him out as he sighed in exhaustion.

* * *

Levi was left alone with Mike. The blonde stared at Levi without any sort of hesitation and seemed to contemplating something.

"Do you have to stare?" Levi growled out before he could stop himself. It was probably not a good idea to be rude right now.

"Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?" The man asked, almost curiously. Levi could admit to himself that it did. Levi did not like being stared at ever since he began living on the streets again. It was better when people ignored him.

"Tch." Levi knew he would say something sarcastic so he forced himself not to say anything at all. He just stared out the window to the left for some time and ignored the man sitting across from him. Levi barely paid attention to Mike so he was startled when the man was suddenly right beside him. The black-haired man turned to find the officer shoving his face close to his neck. He heard and felt him sniff a few times before Levi pushed him away with a shout.

"What the fuck!" Levi yelled as the man before him stumbled back with a grin.

"What's going on?" Petra rushed out of the room, Erwin right behind her.

"What the hell is wrong with that guy? He was sniffing me like some mutt!" Levi shouted angrily.

"Oh…" What could Petra say right now? Mike was Mike. He did that to some people. Maybe they should have warned him first before leaving Mike alone with Levi?

"Mike!" Erwin sighed. "We've _talked_ about this little habit of yours. People don't really appreciate their personal space being invaded. We are almost done here, go wait in the vehicle."

"Sure thing boss." Mike gave Levi a smirk, taking enjoyment in making him freak. Levi narrowed his eyes at the man's retreating back.

"I apologize for his behavior." Erwin began. "Levi, Petra? I believe you two will be safe. The Titans don't know your full names and with the amount of evidence we have against them, the ones in our custody will not be leaving anytime soon. We will be taking on the rest of them as well."

"That is such a relief Erwin." Petra admitted softly.

"Now that we are finished, I will need to head back to work. Petra?"

"Yes?"

"Could you go and grab me my phone? I think I may have left it in the bedroom." Erwin asked pleasantly.

"Oh, sure. I'll be right back." As soon as Petra vanished from sight, Erwin moved with a quickness that surprised Levi, though he had been expecting it. The taller man grabbed the collar of Levi's borrowed pajamas and pulled him close. He towered over Levi and stared menacingly into his eyes.

"Levi. I will say this once and only once. I see something in you. I'm not sure if I am wrong but I think you are deserving of help and a second chance. But... I could be wrong. If _anything_ happens to Petra or her friends and you are the cause, you will regret it. No matter where you are or how long it takes, I will hunt you down like an animal and make you wish you had died, laws and morality be damned. Don't make the trust I am putting in you be broken." He hissed intently, watching for a reaction in those cool grey eyes.

"I swear to you, Erwin. _I will not hurt her._ " Levi's eyes shone with anger and determination. The smaller man grabbed Erwin's wrist with his own strong grip and pulled it off of his collar. Erwin looked at him in respect, he had shown no fear and Erwin saw some hidden potential in this man.

"Ah! Nevermind Petra. I found it. I must have placed it back in my pocket without realizing. Be safe, alright?" Erwin stepped back from Levi and called out to Petra. She stepped out of the room and headed toward Erwin and Levi.

"Okay! You too. And thank you for everything." Petra was extremely grateful. Talking to Erwin helped relieve much of the stress and fear she had been feeling. The Titans were in custody. They could not find her now.

"You're welcome. I will see you again tomorrow." Erwin promised as he headed for the door. As he left and shut the door behind him, Erwin's eyes hardened and his mouth set in a grim line. He would make the Mayor and the Titans pay for everything they had done. They were the cause of his father's death and now they almost killed Petra as well. Erwin vowed then and there to do everything in his power to make sure they never hurt another person he cared for again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been some time since I last wrote a chapter for this story so hopefully there aren't too many mistakes. ^.^'


	13. Chapter 13

Levi and Petra sat down in silence after Erwin had left. The T.V. was on but again, neither person was interested in watching it. About fifteen minutes after the officers left, there was another knock on the door.

When Petra got up, Levi did as well. She looked at him before going to the door and checking the peephole.

"It's just my friends, Levi." The man nodded before standing a few steps behind her. He would need to meet her friends as well. As soon as Petra opened the door, she was swarmed with her friends and their worried voices. They surrounded the woman in a tight group hug and she laughed in delight at the love and concern they showed. They cared for her so much.

"Petra! I'm glad you're safe." Eld.

"Are you alright?" Gunther.

"I should have never left!" Oluo.

"Hi guys. I'm okay. And Oluo, it's not your fault. None of knew this would happen." Petra pulled away from the group and gestured at Levi. "This is Levi. He'll be staying with us for a few days. Levi, this is Oluo, Gunther and Eld." She introduced her three male friends in turn. Levi nodded at them and ingrained their names into his memory but didn't say anything. Gunther noticed that Levi was wearing a pair of pajamas he had left behind. They were a little big on him. The tall man didn't question why.

"So you going to tell us what happened?" Eld prodded, wanting to know. "You didn't tell us much on the phone."

"Can in wait until tomorrow? I'm really tired." Petra yawned, which emphasized her point.

"Fine but first thing you are telling us everything." Oluo demanded with a smile. He was relieved to see his friend okay. If anything had happened he would have never forgiven himself.

"I promise." Petra grinned and then stifled another yawn. "I hope you guys don't mind but Levi will be staying in the guest room. I hope some blankets and pillows on the living room floor will be okay?"

"That's completely fine. We'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?" Gunther responded. Petra nodded and walked away, tapping Levi on the shoulder. The man quietly followed the girl and entered the guest room while Petra grabbed the extra blankets and pillows for the boys.

Petra's friends were curious about Levi but he hadn't really seemed like the talkative type. They would be able to ask whatever questions they wanted of Petra tomorrow so they could wait. The men settled themselves in the living room by moving the couches to make space for the three of them before placing the stuff Petra had brought on the ground. It was not the first time they had slept like this so it wasn't a big deal.

* * *

The next morning Petra woke up with a gasp, her heart hammering in her chest thanks to a nightmare. She lay in her bed breathing heavily until she calmed down. In her dream, she had been back in the coffee shop. This time, Levi had been killed in front of her by King. The Titan gang's leader had laughed after murdering Levi then extended his blood covered hands towards her. The images of the dreamed scene made Petra's eyes water.

Petra didn't need to get up yet but she did anyway. She wouldn't be able to sleep now. The coffee shop would be closed for a while so she and her friends did not need to do anything until police finished up their investigation.

The bathroom was empty as no one else had gotten up yet and Petra was thankful. She wanted to take a long, hot shower. She loved how organized and clean her bathroom looked thanks to Levi. She noticed its cleanliness last night when she had brushed her teeth before bed. The ginger haired woman felt some embarrassment however, it hadn't been that dirty, had it? She tried to keep it clean. It was much better than any of the bathrooms at her friend's apartments for sure!

The woman finished up forty five minutes later and felt much more refreshed. Walking to the living room, she saw that her friends were still sleeping. Petra shook her head at the sight. She had heard them gossiping like a bunch of teenage girls last night and making up wild stories of what went on in the coffee shop. She hadn't been eavesdropping, they were just loud. They hadn't had a sleepover like this in some time. Life had gotten busy for them and it was nice to see them enjoying each others company like they used to. She had wanted to join in but she was too tired.

Petra quietly made her way into the kitchen to begin breakfast. She was ravenous and no doubt her house guests would be as well. She tried to make as little noise as possible but failed. Even so, everyone was in too deep a sleep to wake up.

The smell of pancakes and eggs was the first thing the men in the living room were aware of as they woke. Next was their friend's voice as she roused them.

"Morning everyone! I made breakfast so get your lazy butts up!"

"Ugh, too early." Oluo whined as he pressed his face deeper into his pillow.

"It's almost noon." Petra argued, hands on her hips. None of the men were looking at her to see her 'determined' pose.

"Early." Eld seconded with eyes closed, not moving an inch. Gunther made a sound but didn't move either. Normally even Petra herself would be like this but the nightmare had left her wide awake.

"Fine." Petra huffed, a little amused. "I guess I'll just eat it all myself."

"Good luck." One of the boys said and none of them moved. The shop was closed until further notice so no one really had to go anywhere so what was the point getting up?

* * *

Petra hesitantly knocked on the guest room door as she carried a tray of food. There was no answer. Biting her lip in indecision, she then opened the door. The woman didn't want to bother Levi but the food was already made and it was best eaten fresh. The ginger haired woman paused at the sight of the still sleeping man and changed her mind about waking him. He looked so peaceful in sleep. She placed the tray on a nightstand and left the room quickly.

Levi woke later to smell the lingering aroma of breakfast. He opened his eyes and noticed a tray of food beside him. Had Petra put it there? Faintly he heard a door slam closed. Had someone left or come inside?

The black-haired man allowed himself to lay in the bed in comfort and think. How long had it been since he felt this way? He was comfortable and clean, though he was bruised and sore all over. He realized her was very grateful to the Petra for giving him a brief respite from his shitty life on the streets. He knew it wouldn't last but he would enjoy it.

Stretching, the man finally forced himself out of the bed. Levi pulled the tray on his lap and his mouth watered at the fare before him. Pancakes, eggs, hash browns and juice. There was a small container of syrup on the tray as well. He ate slowly, savoring the food and finished it all. Somehow, even though the food was cold, Levi felt like this was one of the best meals of his life.

Levi was still dressed in the same clothes from last night. He had nothing else to wear and his old clothes, even though they had been washed, were unappealing to him right now. They were ripped and frayed in many places and a reminder of what he had endured.

Stopping before the door into the hallway, Levi took a deep breath. He was nervous. There were a lot of people out there and he wasn't very good with socializing. What if Petra's friends disliked him? Forcing himself to face his fear, the man opened the door and stepped outside.

Petra was sitting and watching T.V. It was some cartoon or something. The tall, dark-haired man, Gunther, sat beside her. Oluo sat at the woman's feet, pointing and saying something about the show they watched. Eld was the fair-haired man, Levi remembered and he saw him pulling out items from plastic bags. He had gone shopping.

"Good afternoon, Levi! Or more like evening since it's almost four but you get it." Eld grinned as he noticed Levi. Petra and her two other friends turned to him as well, also giving him their own greetings. The older man seemed startled to get such an enthusiastic response from everyone. "Come over here. Petra had me go and get a few things for you but we need to make sure they fit."

Levi was hesitant but he did as the younger man wanted. When he neared her turned to the ginger-haired woman and spoke.

"Petra, have you told them what happened last night?"

"Yeah, I did." She said.

"Then why…" Levi began before being interrupted.

"We don't blame you if that's what you're thinking. In the end you helped our friend so that puts you in our good books." Gunther revealed. "If Petra trusts you then so do we."

Levi was confused. He put their good friend in a dangerous situation and her friends still wanted to help him?

"So… Did you really beat King?" Oluo asked, his voice almost awe-stuck. Levi nodded and a grin broke out of the white-haired man's face. "That is so awesome! Could you maybe teach me how to fight?"

"If you going to teach him then you're gonna have to teach me too." Eld added.

"And us!" Petra pointed at herself and then Gunther and everyone laughed. Levi just stared at them, at the easy camaraderie they had and their attempt to include him.

The rest of the day was spent with the boys asking Levi his version of the story. They didn't ask him anything about his past and the man was grateful. Petra must have talked to them about that. The day flew by and it was night again. Though Levi had already slept a long time, he felt tired. Petra offered to let him stay over once more.

This night, he slept in a new set of clothes and was able to brush his teeth with a new toothbrush thanks to Petra and her friends, who also stayed another night.

* * *

The next day, Levi woke earlier than before. He stretched and found that it was ten-o-clock. Leaving his room, he found Petra already up with the door open in her room. She was putting on socks, with her purse beside her. Levi knocked on the door, not wanting to enter her room without permission.

"Oh, Levi!" Petra started as she saw the man at her door. "You're awake."

"Yeah. Are you going somewhere?" He asked.

"Just to the store nearby. I'm just going to grab some groceries and a few other things and be right back, unless you guys want to eat breakfast for dinner again. It will take me no longer than an hour or two."

"Do you need any help?" Levi found himself asking.

"No, no! It won't take me long. Just stay here and relax. See you soon!" Petra hurried out the door with keys and purse in hand. Levi was likely still sore so it would be better if he stayed home. He watched her as she tried to stealthily creep past the living room, as to not wake the sleeping men. She waved at him before opening and gently shutting the door.

Looking around the apartment, Levi made a decision. He wanted to be some use. The short man eyed the three sleeping figures on the floor. They had slept enough, hadn't they? Petra had allowed them in her home and cooked for them. It was time for everyone to make themselves useful.

Petra came back, hands full with grocery bags. The doorman helped her carry them up to her apartment, for which she was grateful. She sighed in relief as she saw the door to her home. She would put away her stuff and then sit and watch some T.V.

The woman frowned at the thump she heard from her apartment. The doorman didn't notice and placed her bags on the ground before taking his leave. As Petra fished around her purse for her keys she could hear the faint sound of a vacuum. Had the boys made a mess already? God, she could never leave them alone for a few hours!

Petra opened the door to an astonishing sight. The boys were awake and cleaning. All three of them. She could see Levi off to the side in her kitchen, cleaning the counters with a rag. None of them had noticed Petra yet, frozen with her eyes wide.

"What are you guys doing?" Petra's voice stopped the men in their tracks and they turned to her.

"Cleaning." Eld responded and dropped the duster he had in his hand to go over to her. He grabbed the grocery bags in her hands and brought them inside.

"You guys… You really didn't have to."

"And we sort of weren't going to but your new friend is a little scary when he's determined to get us to do something." Oluo laughed a little sheepishly as he walked behind Petra and grabbed some of the bags outside the door. Gunther continued vacuuming but gave her a wry smile.

"It was Levi's idea so come on in and relax. You won't be doing a thing today." Eld revealed, glancing at Levi. The shorter man nodded approvingly.

Petra broke out of her shocked state and laughed, thanking them all.

* * *

As Petra put away her purse in her room, she received another call. She looked at the caller ID and found that it was Erwin.

"Hi Erwin." Petra greeted warmly, sitting down on the bed to remove her socks.

"Hi Petra." Erwin greeted in return. "How is everything with your house guests?"

"It's actually been pretty good. Levi's got the boys cleaning. And cleaning well, I might add. They won't let me help them at all, even to cook! I'm a little worried about that."

"Really? That is an amazing feat."

"Yeah! He would fit well with everyone here. Oluo is starstruck since he beat King in a fight and both Eld and Gunther seem to like him as well."

"Well, I'm happy to see that everyone seems to like him already. Levi's actually the reason I'm calling right now."

"... Really?"

"Don't sound so worried. This is a good thing. Listen…"

* * *

That night, there was a knock at the door. Petra already knew who it was and opened it up. Erwin had arrived, and not in uniform. She greeted him and turned to call Levi over from where he was scolding the boys about how to properly sweep the floor.

"Erwin would like to speak with you alone, if that's okay." Petra explained when Levi came towards them. The woman could see the man tense but he nodded. Trusting Petra, Levi followed Erwin out the door.

An hour later, Levi came back. Petra could tell nothing from the man's face. She and her friends were curious what they talked about but they refrained from asking. Petra knew a little but Erwin had been hesitant to explain too much to her. Levi was quieter after his and Erwin's conversation. The short man seemed to be in deep thought often.

Later than night when everyone had gone to bed, Levi knocked on Petra's door as she was getting ready to sleep.

"Hi." Levi said almost, embarrassedly. "Ah, Erwin offered me a job... As a night guard... For a museum."

"Congratulations!" Petra quietly squealed and hugged him. She pulled away quick but she saw the almost tiny smile on Levi's face. She knew what Erwin offering him a job meant.

"Did he tell you?" Levi began softly. "About me?"

"No, he didn't. He wanted to respect your privacy. I don't know anything other than he found something about you in the files his father was working on. One of them was yours." Reminded of his father, Erwin had gone through the things the older Smith had left behind. In a box of old documents, Erwin found a case file with one Levi Ackerman. He had instantly recognized the dark haired man in the file. Levi's case had been sent over to his father because new evidence proved Levi Ackerman had not been the culprit of the crime he had been accused of. It turned out several new arrivals to the city might actually be. After Edmund Smith had passed away, the case had been left forgotten. Until now.

Petra knew that once the case was reopened, Levi would likely be a free man. And maybe he would talk about what happened one day.

"Don't you want to know?"

"... I do. But I respect you. I want to know but you don't have to tell me. It's not my business."

"Thank you. And thank you for letting me stay here."

* * *

Levi lay in bed that night and contemplated his life. He wondered how his life had changed so dramatically for the better in just a few days. Erwin had told him Fritz had been arrested. A USB device was found on King that contained recordings and evidence of his dealings with the mayor. In case Fritz ever tried to get rid of him, King wanted to make sure he went down too. Too bad it never occurred to the Titan that he would get arrested and USB would be viewed.

Erwin also told Levi that Petra was going to allow him to stay at her place until he could support himself. There was tons of paperwork to do so Levi could prove who he was and get ID and his life back. It would take time. But that was okay.

Everyone would know Levi wasn't a killer. That he hadn't killed his two best friends, the man and a woman he felt were his siblings as they had known each other so long. Isbael, Farlan and Levi had grown up in a shitty neighborhood with shitty parents but they had made something of themselves. It hadn't been Levi who killed his friends in a jealous rage because they were sleeping together. The murderers had really been several men from a rival company that blamed the three friends for it going under.

Levi's eyes misted as he thought about his two friends. He hoped he never let Petra, Erwin and their friends down like he had his own. Levi hadn't been able to save them and still blamed himself. If he had just been faster in getting home that day... Or even just a little bit later if no matter what his friends could not be saved. One day he would have to forgive himself for what happened but it was still too early. Isabel and Farlan would never blame him, he knew, but it was still hard not to blame himself.

Levi owed Petra and her friends so much. He would prove himself to be a good man for them. They had given him everything he had longed for these past years, trust most of all. For the first time since the incident, Levi felt like he belonged somewhere, like he was home. He was hopeful for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, this is finally finished! I made the commitment to finally finish it today so I'm posting it now before I delay it even longer.
> 
> Sorry for such a long wait but here is the finale. I think its been like a year and a half since I started publishing and two and a half years since I actually started writing it!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read and/or reviewed this story. Your interest and comments made me really happy. :D


End file.
